The Beltronics Vector 995 and Cobra XRS 9960G radar detectors are two top performing choices for protection against radars and lasers. How do these two products compare to each other? Let’look at what both models have to offer.

Beltronics Vector 995 Radar Detector

The Vector 995 by Beltronics is a highly-sensitive detector capable of sensing microwave radar threats on all bands at an extended range. Beltronics claims that the Vector 995 has 10 times the range of imported radar detectors.

The superheterodyne, varactor-tuned receiver uses a patented digital signal processing (DSP) technique, called AutoScan, that filters clutter and false alarms handling X-band, K-band, Ku-band and the new Ka-band POP mode radar guns. The Vector 995 is equipped with a speedy processor that offers response to threats in less than a second.

The Total Tracking Laser feature of the Vector 995 provides only standard protection against laser guns, however.

The microprocessor uses flash memory and can be reprogrammed to deal with new monitoring threats. Alerts are given via warning tones, digital voice and a HD text display. The Vector 995 comes with a choice of three interchangeable faceplates to match your car’s interior. The display has brightness control and the alert volume can be muted or set to automute. There is a “City Mode” filtering that allows you to choose Low X or No X to attract less attention while travelling in urban areas. The Shadow Technology feature keeps VG2 detectors from sensing your own protective devices.

Cobra XRS 9960G Radar Detector

The XRS 9960G provides detection of all 15 radar and laser bands using Super-Xtreme Range Superheterodyne Technology receivers. This detector handles seven radar signals, six laser signals and two safety signals. Protection is provided against POP mode radar guns and European Ku-band radar guns.

The LaserEye technology provides full 360 degree protection against laser tracking devices including the LTI 20-20, ProLaser, ProLaser III, Stalker LIDAR and Speedlaser.

The XRS 9960G also provides protection against the Spectre I, Spectre I/IV+ and VG-2 radar detector-detector threats. The patent-pending Intelliscope technology uses GPS to provide the driver with geographical information on the location of threats relative to your vehicle. The GPS system is used to warn drivers of speed traps, red light cameras and other threats throughout North America using the AURA™ Camera & Driving Database. This database is updated with new information on a daily basis for the life of the product. XRS 9960G allows you to program up to 1000 location-based alerts into the warning system.

XRS 9960G comes with the exclusive Strobe Alert that detects the strobe lights on emergency vehicles giving the driver advance warning. The Safety Alert feature warns drivers of nearby emergency vehicles, railroad crossings or road hazard locations that are transmitting using Cobra’s alert equipment.

The XRS 9960G has a full-color OLED display with selectable color range, and an automute and Intellimute audio alert system. The Intellimute checks vehicle speed to reduce false alarms. There is also an IntelliShield False Signal Rejection feature that allows the driver to select three different types of signal rejection for urban and rural driving.

In addition there are a lot of other features offered by this radar detector. A GPS and electronic compass allows the driver to orient themselves according to eight directional points. The GPS also provides latitude and longitude, and current vehicle speed information. The XRS 9960G can be set for city and highway modes, and the display can be set on dim mode. The Digital Signal Strength Meter gives the driver information on the distance of threats using five levels of signal strength discrimination.

Comparing the Vector 995 and XRS 9960G

The XRS 9960G is obviously much more featured than the Vector 995, but it also has about a 20 percent higher list price. The XRS 9960G might be a better choice for sports cars in Europe as it is better designed for driving threats in that region. It also allows you to easily cross borders between the United States and Canada. The XRS 9960G with its GPS features may be better for sports cars that are taken on long tours. The Vector 995 may be the better choice for cars used for more local driving.

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If you have a generous soul, and a friend of yours is having trouble with speeding tickets, you might want to consider buying them a laser radar detector as a gift. This isn’t a cheap gift but is a very useful one. And if they are a really good friend they may allow you to borrow it for that trip through Ohio. Traveling these days requires a fairly detailed knowledge of local law enforcement. A detector takes some of the pressure off.

For The Long-Distance Traveler

If your friend spends a lot of time on the interstate you need to take that into consideration. A top-of-the-line detector would be in order here. A detector with good long range performance is usually one of the more expensive ones. It might also be a good idea to check out the performance of the detector when the threat is to the rear. If the recipient of the gift is traveling through states that outlaw detectors, and there are more of them every day, he will need a detector that is invisible to the devices used by the police to spot them. Most high-end detectors have this capability. The other thing to be considered is jamming police radar and laser guns. There are a couple of units on the market that have this feature built in. If your budget can stretch that far they would make superior gifts.

For The Local Driver

If your friend does most of his driving on local streets, in built up areas, you need a detector with a high level of discrimination. Many drivers in cities and built-up suburbs won’t use a detector because of the interference generated by local sources such as microwave towers and shopping center door-openers. For someone doing most of their driving in these areas you want to get a detector that rejects false alarms. Such a detector has special circuits that carefully measure the signals that it picks up. It will notify the driver of the signal but will label it as a false alarm. Most drivers will be able to quickly learn the locations of probable false alarms. Those who can’t be bothered should receive one of the detectors that is GPS enabled. These are terrific. They can remember any false alarms that trigger them, ignoring them in the future. They can also hold a database of stoplight and speed cameras, avoiding contributions to another boondoggle civic revenue stream.

For the Fast Driver

For the driver who just drives too fast all of the time, and pays no attention to the local police presence, a detector is a must. He would benefit greatly from the GPS enabled detectors with the speed trap database. But he is going to find himself getting pulled over anyway. The one thing an officer really hates to see when he walks up to a car is a detector hanging from the windshield. Policemen do think of traffic enforcement as a game. But they think of it as a game rigged in their favor and take a dim view of anything which tips the scale back in the favor of the driver. The detector which is appropriate in this case is the one with a remote-mounted antenna. These detectors usually come with a very small display which can be mounted out of sight on the dash. This display acts as the interface with the driver. The officer who pulls the driver over won’t know a detector is present and may even give a warning instead of a ticket.

A Good Gift

The laser radar detector really can make a good gift if a little thought is put behind it. If you’re really not sure what type of detector to buy, even after talking it over with the guys at the electronics store, consider using one yourself. Make the best possible choice and install it in your own car for a few weeks. If it appears to be doing the job the way you had intended, pack it back in the box and give it as a gift. If you really liked it keep it and buy your friend a brand new one.

If you are a fast driver, or are looking into buying an advanced sports car like a Porsche or a Corvette, it might be wise to think about purchasing a laser radar detector. While radar detectors of the past tended to be unreliable and sometimes impractical, the laser radar detectors of today have made many advancements. Old-fashioned radar detector models would often pick up false signals from radar that originated from vehicles and locations that were not police related. the frequency that these false signals occurred made it virtually useless to use the detectors. The main problem with these old units was that an electromagnetic field was used to pick up their radar ranges, meaning that objects ranging from garage door openers to telephone lines would set off a machine. As you can imagine, users decided that radar detectors were more of a nuisance than a functional technology that could help them avoid speeding tickets.

Nowadays, radar laser detector manufacturers have come up with more precise, more functional detectors which do a much better job of performing the task radar detectors were intended for – alerting drivers of upcoming radar activity. One solution that has proven very helpful in this industry is the utilization of GPS features. Radar detectors which include GPS functionality allow users to input locations where radar monitoring devices have already been installed throughout the city. The best radar detectors have software that already includes the majority of these locations. These high activity radar locations will be input and stored for use at a later date in the devices memory. In addition, sites that often cause false alarms can also be stored into the memory in order to ignore these same locations in the future.

One tip that can help users get the optimal performance out of their radar detectors is to mount your detector either in the dashboard or on the windshield of your performance vehicle. Mounting detectors in the lowest position possible in one of these two locations will give the best overall detection range while also maintaining the highest concealment advantage. As a driver, you will also want to have maximum accessibility to both highway and city modes. When you’re driving it’s hard to remember that for the laser radar detector, driving in the city is vastly different than driving on the highway. That covers everything in the way of placement and use, but there are a number of features that differentiate one detector from the other.

360-Degree Laser Radar Detection

If you see this term when you are purchasing a laser radar detector for your performance car, you should know that it is basically a useless feature, as well as a misnomer. In essence, no radar detectors really use 360-degree detection. Lasers are really only accurate when the target object is headed towards the detector dead-on. As the object continues to move further and further off angle, the accuracy of the device decreases respectively.

Speed Sensitivity

If you are using a GPS enabled radar detector, it’s always going to know how fast you are moving. The best radar detectors will use this information to increase or decrease their sensitivity to existing radar, thus reducing false alarms. The frequency that garage door openers tip off your radar detector will be significantly decreased when using detectors which utilize this technology. This turns out to be a highly useful feature, and one that you should definitely look for before you purchase a radar detector. Tests show that detectors which use this speed sensitivity technology virtually smash detectors which don’t have this functionality.

AlertLock

This aforementioned feature analyzes different radar variables including frequency and location of transmitted radar. If you frequently get false signals from garage door openers or ambulances, you can tap this button to ignore similar frequencies of radar. Over time, your radar detecting will become more accurate.

Mark Location

This feature is basically a database of known radar locations, including but not limited to, speed cameras. Because these locations change frequently while cities increase the number of red light cameras and speed cameras, the best laser radar detectors include a manual feature that allows you to add new locations on the fly.

These are the most important features that you should look for when purchasing a laser radar detector. The advances in technology have made it possible for these detectors to be much more useful now than they ever have been in the past. It is now considered a wise investment to look into purchasing one of these devices, especially if you have bad luck when it comes to speeding in your Mercedes Benz SL600.

Escort Passport 9500i Radar Laser Detctor Review

Every once in a while the leader in an industry comes out with a new product that blows the doors off the competition. Well, with the introduction of the PASSPORT 9500i, Escort has done just that. Building on the success of what was already considered the industry standard for excellence, Escort is once again the clear choice for the driver who wants the best. And all of this is available at the economical price of only $449.95. The 9500i can be obtained from any major electronics retailer or directly from Escort.

The 9500i offers all of the bells and whistles available on their previous models. But the addition of GPS capability is truly a game-changer. This benefits the driver immensely, especially in the area of false alerts. When the driver is passing a false alert trigger, such as a shopping mall with its door-openers, he tells the 9500i what is going on. The next time he drives by the mall the 9500i will remember the false alert and refuse to sound the alarm. It will still react to police radar, even in the same location. And if that amazing feature wasn’t enough, the 9500i uses the GPS to measure the car’s speed. This means that the driver can set alerts in certain areas to warn him about speed limits and traps. The 9500i takes care of everything. It even has an intelligent volume control on the audible alert which adjusts according to road noise.

A driver with a fragile driving record or a very fast car cannot afford to take chances with speeding tickets. The PASSPORT 9500i relieves him of any enforcement worries. With its Radar Safety Warning System feature and the driver’s ability to mark locations via GPS, the 9500i will produce a safe and worry-free driving experience without regard to the distance or speed. The only real hazard to buying the 9500i is all the boasting you will be doing to your friends.

Escort Passport 8500 X50 Red Radar Laser Detector Review

The Escort Passport series of radar detectors are known for their low profile, top notch detection technology, and superior usability. The Escort Passport 8500 X50 Red Radar Laser Detector is no exception. This model, which retails for about $300, has been called one of the most revolutionary laser radar detectors ever to appear on the market.

This detector’s “V tuned” radar receiver provides superior protection for both city and highway drivers. It offers optimal range for both “instant on” and conventional radar systems, giving you the ability to detect even the most sophisticated radars long before they can track the speed of your vehicle.

The Passport 8500 X50 features 360 degree detection of both radar and laser speed detectors. No matter where speed enforcement cruisers may be, you’ll be able to detect them. This means you won’t have to worry about being detected from the side or the rear – you can find cruisers before they find you.

This radar and laser detector also features easy programming, so you will be able to customize the operation of your detector instantly. Whether you want full radar protection, or you are just wanting to avoid police detection in the city, the Passport 8500 X50 will do the job.

If you’re worried about hearing your radar detector over the radio, your favorite CD, or your MP3 player, relax. The Passport 8500 X50 has a built in earphone jack, so you’ll never have to worry about getting caught speeding because your attention was wandering.

This radar detector is ideal for use in states that ban radar detectors. Its quick release windshield mount allows you to quickly remove and store the detector before it can be seen by a law enforcement officials. Because of its superior range, it is also great for highway drivers – most radar detectors offer a limited range, compromising their effectiveness on freeways and other higher speed areas.

Escort SOLO S2 Cordless Radar Laser Detector Review